Hymn for the Missing
by Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus
Summary: Songfic to the song of the same title by Red. "Traveling. That's what we were doing. That's what we were always doing. He did the walking, i was just along for the ride as usual. I'm not sure when the darkness began to creep into my mind, breaking that connection, but by the time i woke up, he was gone. Strange, that he would just disappear."


**This idea has been brewing in my idea for a long time. There seems to be a decline in the quality of songfics, unfortunately, so i'm partially writing this to bring it back up. (No offense intended to those who have written songfics.) When i first got on, there were few songfics, and there still are, but the definition seems to have changed where it shouldn't have. I'd like to note that putting the actual song lyrics in the story is against FF's rules. So, here's an example of what i think a songfic technically should be: A sort of interpretation of the lyrics, using them to write the story, rather than putting them in between the lines of the story. **

**So, with that said, I've put a bit of mystery and tried a new thing in this story. I haven't actually given any names of characters in the story, and I've written it in first-person POV, which i think is one of my weaknesses. (Although this turned out better than i thought it would. Guess i'm better than i thought.) So, your job as the reader is to guess who is speaking. It changes between two different people, but I've marked the change by the handy little divider lines that FF's document manager has provided. I'm also numbering them with 1 and 2. See if you can guess before the end, because i'm going to reveal who it is at the end. Shouldn't be too hard to guess though. XD Enjoy!**

**The song I've used for this fic is 'Hymn for the Missing' by Red. Go listen to it while you read this, if you'd like.**

* * *

-1's POV-

Traveling. That's what we were doing. That's what we were always doing. He does the walking, i am just along for the ride as usual. Sometimes i come out and talk to him, although it was always one-sided. He can't hear me, except on rare occasions, and he has never seen my true form, but that's alright. I still talk. I comment on his thoughts, or his words. What can i say? He isn't thinking much on this occasion except for getting to the next location before the impending rain started. There is already a storm brewing, and i am bored. I go inside and fall asleep, leaving him to keep walking.

I'm not sure when the darkness begins to creep into my mind, breaking that connection, but by the time i wake up, he is gone. Strange, that he would just disappear. I reached out with my mind, trying to find him, sure that he must just be sleeping or something, but he's not there.

I can hear him, somehow, but there's almost no connection. The warm feeling of our minds mixing in that strong connection is gone. There's only a small inkling, a tiny strand connecting us now. I get the sickening feeling that something has come between us. Many questions flood my mind. Where is he? Why can't i find him at all? Will we ever regain that connection? What broke it?

His subconscious mind is crying and calling out over the tiny strand that still connects us. His mind is searching as well, trying to find mine. Why was the connection broken in the first place? The answer to that question soon appears, looming in front of me.

"Who are you?" i snarl at the female figure smirking at me from underneath multicolored pastel bangs.

"Who am I?" she replies. "Simple. I'm the one who you're going to lend your power to so that i can become the most powerful being in the world."

"What, can't do it on your own?" i snap, considering reaching for the paired katanas slung across my back.

"Oh, now what's the point of having to do all that hard work? Plus, this wasn't my first choice, but as it's what my master wants, i'll go with it."

"What about my partner, huh?"

"He left you to our control."

"No, he didn't. Don't lie to me."

"But it's true."

"The small sliver of a connection that i still have with him proves you wrong."

"Small sliver, huh? That's it. He couldn't break the connection entirely, apparently. Allow me."

My heart nearly stops in my chest as this sinister female suddenly transforms into a pillar of dark flame and engulfs me, cutting off that last strand of connection. I think my heart went with it. My mind wanders, as i feel my power being merged with that of this other being, this sinister mind taking control of my own against my will.

Only one was supposed to ever control me. And it wasn't this one. I am helpless, wandering in the darkness, trying to find him. Even though i can no longer sense anything from him, i know that he must still be lost somewhere in the darkness as well, alone, afraid. He has to be looking for me. This other being's words were a flat out lie. He didn't leave me behind to be trapped in the darkness. I keep reaching out, even though something in the back of my mind tells me that it's useless. I only hope that, wherever he is, he will wait. We will meet again, we have to.

I was just walking. I mean, come on, i do that all the time. The sun had probably set a long time ago by the time i found this kid who needed my help. I couldn't have known that the simple act of stopping would tear everything apart.

* * *

-2's POV-

I reached down, expecting it to be there. After all, it always was. That little scream of panic in the back of my mind as my fingers brushed nothing but air shattered everything, leaving me with no defenses as everything gave way into blackness. My subconscious mind somehow picked up on a panicked voice, calling in the distance, sounding as if it were from across an ocean between myself and itself.

I've often heard them crying, for various reasons. However, I've never heard crying like this. It's soft, sad, nostalgic. I try to call out to it, trying to find it. I'm not even sure what it is, but it sounds as lost in this darkness as i am. We're both alone, or at least that's how it seems. Both of us, alone and afraid. Both of us, searching. We ask the same questions. I thought it was this other voice that left me behind, but it asks the same thing.

"Wait." i tell it. "Wait and i'll find you."

I can only hope that my words will come true. Something's missing from my mind, and i know that that other voice has it. It left deep scars in my mind, no, in my heart. I can't find it. It's gone. I'll find it again, won't i? So many questions. Loneliness. Fear. Searching for the one thing that can fix it all while it searches for me. It left, i remained. We are reaching out, waiting.

We will see each other again.

* * *

-1's POV-

It won't stop. Each clash, each time this idiot drains my power for her own use, causes yet another crack in my defenses. I've kept them high, making it difficult for her to use my power, but she uses it anyway. I am curled up into a ball, my face buried in my knees, unable to fight back. A startled exclamation comes from her mind into mine, letting me know that something is wrong, at least from her point of view.

Apparently, she has been forced into a stop. Good. She was annoying me anyway with her taunting. Now she falls silent an apparent annoyance. Cautiously, i reach into her mind, surprised at finding almost no barriers. I sense annoyance, and a sense of… Defeat?

"Hah, i told you." I smirk.

"Shut up." she snarls, then gasps as her darkness is forced to retreat.

I raise an eyebrow. Surely her 'master' as she calls him, hasn't changed his mind? I swear, if that idiot tries this one more time, i'll pound him.

"Goodbye and good riddance." I smirk as she is forced out of my mind, the link between us broken.

Now that i am free, i can hear muffled yells and exclamations of surprise, as well as the sound of some sort of machine moving. Suddenly, that blazing light and powerful presence pushes its way once again into my mind. I let it do so with a sense of relief.

_Time for battle._

The words enter my mind the moment the connection is reestablished, and i couldn't have been more ready for them. Battle. Real and true battle, not some freak show controlling my power and using it against my will. That was never the intent of the system. I come out, eyes blazing, to stand next to my partner as his muscles tense, his eyes blazing with our power as he takes careful aim.

I tense, ready for the imminent command. I'm off the moment it comes, slamming that giant machine into the ground in milliseconds. Startled gasps rise up from around the room as my visible form is recognized by a group of amateurs that apparently, as i read my partner's mind, just rescued him. Okay, so maybe they're not amateurs after all. One of them joins the battle, as a pair of female figures with a blazing orange aura joins me in the battle. They are the example of what the system was intended for. The three of us move in perfect sync with our partners' every command, attacking, retreating, taunting.

A second pair of figures joins the battle, another example of the system being used how it was intended to be. Together, the five of us take out the giant machine, and are called out of action. I settle comfortably back into my usual spot, noting with slight worry that my partner seems to be in a bit of pain from an earlier experience. However, that feeling is soon washed away by adrenaline as he begins leading the others out of whatever crazy enemy base we somehow ended up in. Eventually, we manage to escape, and i am flooded with the feeling of relief that washes over my partner.

Suddenly, he collapses. Alarmed, i leap out of my usual containment, only to see that the not-so-amateurs are already around him, panicking.

"It's going to be alright." I mutter, pushing the thought into his mind. He relaxes, and i know that it has reached him before he slips into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Alright, that's it! Did you guess who they are? 2 should have been easy. 1 might have been a bit harder. So, if you guessed that 1 was Kaminari (or Samurai Pegasus) and 2 was Gingka, then you were correct! I seem to have an obsession with the last few episodes of Shogun Steel, which happens to be the setting of this story. Anyway, see you guys tomorrow with updates on Hikou Rising and Stormflight, which i have finally gotten off writer's block on.**


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